System and method for providing optimized receiver architectures for combined pilot and data signal tracking

Abstract

A system architecture for a receiver to process multiple signals on a common carrier frequency from a satellite. The receiver is arranged such that the receiver receives input data transmitted from the satellite. A pilot signal is tracked from the input data using a correlation channel, and a data signal is tracked from the input data using a data code generator operatively connected to the correlation channel. In one embodiment of the invention, the data signal generator creates replica code for the data signal. In another embodiment of the invention, the system can switch between the data signal generator and pilot signal generator based upon the signal-to-noise ratio of the incoming signal.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates generally to receivers for Global Navigation Satellite Systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to hardware configurations for Global Navigation Satellite System receivers.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Satellite navigation is based on a global network of satellites that transmit signals from several thousand miles in earth orbit. A number of different Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) have either been launched or are in advanced stages of development. For example, a Galileo is an example of a GNSS system which will ultimately provide a highly accurate, guaranteed global positioning service under civilian control. It is anticipated that Galileo will be inter-operable with other global satellite navigation systems such as American-based Global Position System (GPS) and the Russian-based Global Orbiting Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS).[0003]In a GNSS such as Galileo (when available), a user is ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0009]The present invention provides for a system and method for efficiently reducing the hardware complexity required for enabling the reception of both a pilot signal and a data signal in a GNSS receiver. In one embodiment of the invention, information from the pilot signal is used to track both signals from the satellite such that only the demodulation of the data signal is necessary for efficient operation. A second embodiment of the invention involves the implementation of only one hardware channel to alternately track both the pilot signal and the data signal. In this situation, for satellite acquisition, the pilot signal is used, and for high signal-to-noise ratio tracking, the data signal is used. The pilot signal is used for low signal-to-noise ratio tracking.

[0010]The system and method of the present invention provides a solution for enabling a receiver to receive both pilot and carrier signals from a GNSS satellite with minimal hardware. In the case where information from the pilot signal is used to track both signals from the satellite, there is a minimal performance penalty through the use of some additional hardware. In the case where a single hardware channel alternately tracks both the pilot signal and the data signal, there is no hardware size increase at all over receivers capable of only using the data signal, although some performance is sacrificed compared to receivers that receive both signals simultaneously. However, this performance is still substantially better than with those receivers that only track the data signal. Tracking only either the pilot or data signal simplifies the software. Using less hardware also decreases the power consumption of the receiver.

Problems solved by technology

Using less hardware also decreases the power consumption of the receiver.

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